Somehow I managed to miss the fact that January 24th was my photography birthday! I like to remember that date; it helps me see how I’m moving forward and assess my upcoming plans and projects.

Six years ago on January 24th, I took my first self portrait. I did it simply for the sake of doing it; I had an idea, so I executed it. I certainly never imagined I was starting down a new, wonderful path that would effect everything in my life.

Cultus Procul Meus Sanctus Templum – not actually my very first self portrait, but one from early on in that first year, and one which I’ve always felt was the first time I really felt like I’d started to find my own style.

I would like to take a moment and thank all the wonderful models whom I’ve had the great pleasure of working with over the last six years, especially those gluttons for art punishment who keep coming back shoot after shoot. Tom Nagal, Dedeker Winston, Sandy Moore, Aly Darling, Veronica Ricci, Katie Johnson and Travis Weinand (in chronological order) have all been repeat collaborators.

They have endured getting up before dawn, smiled through bitter cold, boiling heat and snow, accidentally stumbling into stinging nettles (while nude, no less – sorry, Dedeker!) and the most awkward and uncomfortable poses, props and costumes. They’ve balanced precariously on horses, stripped themselves of their clothes (and inhibitions), been gawked at by curious strangers, laid in freezing cold creeks, let me cover them with mud and dirt, dodged ubiquitous Frisbee golfers, covered themselves in flour, held their breath through smoke bombs, submerged themselves in water I can only describe generously as repulsive and waited patiently while I spent weeks and months editing their images.

And they do it all without every breaking character. These models are worth their weight in gold! I appreciate them all more than I can ever say and am so glad that they trust me to turn my weird-sounding ideas into something beautiful. They are people I can happily call friends. I know that I can always count on them to do their absolute best and I try just as hard to give them my absolute best.

An early image I shot with Dedeker, inspired by The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.

I am still hard at work on the new chapter of DreamWorld! I got some important hunks of crystal, amethyst and fluorite in this case, from my dear friend Jessi, fellow spoonie and owner of the Etsy shops Mineralism Crystals for all your crystal needs, and The Hopeful Spoon, full of beautiful handmade jewelry. Thank you, Jessi! These are so beautiful and they’ll make a truly gorgeous prop for DreamWorld!

On a last note, Jessi’s beloved cat Simba is going through an expensive medical crisis. Jessi started a gofundme page to help pay for his treatment; please consider donating to it if you can! Even a small amount would mean a great deal. And of course, you can also help support the fund by purchasing items from Jessi’s shops! I’ve bought from them and I have LOVED what I’ve gotten!

Simba needs our help! Save this beautiful kitty!

I hope to have a new piece to show you guys soon! I’ve been working on it slowly between other DreamWorld things. 🙂

I have actually known about Forgotten Plague for a couple of years and I’ve been anxiously awaiting its release!

Now, finally, the documentary has been completed and it is available to stream through Itunes or Amazon for $4.99. That is an amount I am more than happy to give to help support one of the few existing documentaries on ME/CFS.

Forgotten Plague’s creator, fellow ME/CFS sufferer Ryan Prior, does an excellent job of explaining just what ME/CFS is (as far as we currently know), what makes it so complicated to understand and treat, how it has been stigmatized and ignored by the medical community, and hopeful glimpses of a future with answers… maybe even a cure.

Honestly, I woke up today already at the end of my energy. I feel like I can barely string words together right now, but this movie is far, far too important for me to not spread the word about it right away. We NEED movies like this. We need people who do not have ME/CFS or personally know someone with it to understand our struggle. We need healthy people to help us fight for answers. We need the stigma and misunderstandings to end. We need people to have any idea what we’re talking about when we tell them we have myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Please watch Forgotten Plague, tell your friends about it, share it on social media. This excellent film could help our community in profound ways, and we need that to happen. Everyone wants to be understood. At worst, watching this movie will help you get what my life is like.. and why I have had to slow down so greatly in all areas. And you’ll probably enjoy my Enchanted Sleep series, on living with ME/CFS, a little bit more.

Thank you to everyone who will watch it and share it. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped work on this magnificent documentary. I’m sure it was utter hell at times, trying to make a movie while having ME, but the results are brilliant. Thank you for validating our experiences.